Ernesto Valverde let slip in the press conference that Leo Messi will not be playing in San Mames. The FC Barcelona coach dismissed his absence, putting it down to his lack of training with the group.
"We are not risking any player, never mind Leo. He hasn´t even trained with the team and individual recovery is not the same as working within the group. We are going to wait and see" stated 'Txingurri' in the pre-match conference before the game against Athletic Bilbao.
By this, Ernesto Valverde wanted to emphasise in his speech his idea behind reserving the Argentine in San Mames, after he injured himself on return from his holidays and could not travel to the United States for the second preseason tour.
Through social networks we have been able to follow the recovery of Leo Messi, who has worked hard both in the Sports City and the facilities of his home to get closer to match fitness and be up to the competitive standard of his teammates.
However, Ernesto Valverde has already shown his team to travel to Naples without their captain, although this Thursday he did not want to definitively discard the Bilbao match until he made the last training session in Barcelona.